Malta’s Victoria Schultheis Crowned Women’s World Champion In Moth Class Sailing

Victoria Schultheis, representing Malta and the Royal Malta Yacht Club, was crowned Women’s World Champion in the highly competitive Moth Class on Sunday 13th July. The victory was particularly remarkable as Schultheis had only started racing this advanced foiling dinghy a few months earlier. The Moth is renowned for its speed, innovation, and hydrofoiling capabilities.

The World Championship was held in Malcesine on Lake Garda, hosted by Fraglia Vela Malcesine, and attracted 137 of the world’s best sailors. Schultheis secured the top spot among the women, finishing ahead of Britain’s reigning World Champion Hattie Rogers and Germany’s Lisa Schweigert.

The event experienced several days of unstable weather, with early starts to make the most of a northerly breeze. This allowed the completion of the final qualifying races before splitting the competitors into Gold and Silver fleets.

In addition to winning the Women’s title, Schultheis finished 39th overall in a field that included Olympians and world-class sailors. This followed her recent success at Foiling Week Malcesine, also held on Lake Garda.

This was Schultheis’ second World Championship title, having previously won the Optimist World Championship in 2016. With the next Moth Worlds still over a year away, she planned to balance her studies with sailing the Switch class, which was rapidly gaining popularity among top sailors. Her upcoming semester abroad in Sydney promised new opportunities both academically and on the water, as she continued to build her skills in this dynamic one-design class.

Royal Malta Yacht Club Commodore Mark Napier expressed his delight at her achievement, saying, “Victoria’s success was a proud moment for both the Club and Maltese sailing. Her dedication, talent, and determination set a great example for aspiring sailors, and we look forward to seeing her continue to excel both on and off the water.”

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